Uncharted: Gone, But Not Forgotten
by Dreams of Florence
Summary: Nathan Drake is still a changing man, who could still go one of three ways. Forever enraged, his normal self, or a broken shell of a man. He still clings on to the memories of those he lost, but he soon learns of ways to cope. By forgetting he heals. By remembering he thrives. ***Sequel to Uncharted: Crossroads***


Uncharted: Gone, but not Forgotten

And now we are back home, Nate's home to be specific. Back in sunny Key West, Florida. Normally after one expedition, another one would be waiting immediately afterwards. But Sully decided that it would a good idea to take a break for a while. Let things simmer down before they pick up again, as they always seem to.

Sully was an old man, he didn't deny it. He's been through a lot these past collection of years. Everyone needs a break from time to time. But Sully did not call for this vacation from his worry over his old fragile bones. He was well aware that Nate still had a lot of cooling down to do.

Nate, despite showing evidence that he's starting to move on, had developed a bit of short fuse; as Sully would say it, Nate would "lose his shit" over some of the even simplest things. But these bursts were always followed by an apology that Sully soon grew tired of hearing.

When Sully suggested anger management classes, let's say that Nate owed Sully some money to cover some "miscellaneous property damages". And that was the worse that Sully had ever seen Nate. He never knew that Nate or any able bodied human being to harbor such rage and anger.

He should have known by now.

But a week after that incident, Nate has seemed to have retreated into his shell. He became quiet, reserved, indifferent. He mainly stayed in his room doing God knows what. It was relieving for a while but Sully began to grow concerned. He didn't want a "roid rage" Nate but he didn't want a quiet one either. He wanted _his_ Nate. The boy, no, the man that he raised and grew to undeniably love.

Sully didn't know what else to do. And unluckily for him, the world was quiet. There was no big treasure to plunge, or a power hungry tyrant to screw over, or even a millennia old mystery to solve. The encrypted Sir Francis Drake saga had been decrypted and had come to a close.

Sully was stuck. What did he have to do? Intentionally piss off Nate to the point where he'll break more of his furniture?

Sully's ultimate worry as of late has always been that that he'd lose his kid; that his kid would be condemned to an eternity of rage. But he didn't think about the other possibility; Nate would become silent, give up on the world and just retreat.

Sometimes Sully would sit in the living room, and just chew on his cigar deep in thought. He would mull over the key event that has changed Nate. The death of the ones close to him and his heart. How he wished that he wasn't so selfish and that maybe, just maybe he could have prevented it from happening. How he wished he could go back and change the past.

But alas, he lacked the power to do so.

"If only…" Sully whispered to himself.

**~U~C~**

"Hey, Sully?" Sully was startled, caught off guard. That had been the first time he heard Nate speak in over a month. He almost didn't recognize the voice. But it was mainly because the voice sounded meek, shy, and fearful. Like a little boy scared to ask his father for a favor, even the smallest one.

"What's up kid?" Sully tried to sound as sincere as possible, but damn his gruff voice. He wasn't trying to sound like he was angry with the man before him.

Like that would make things any better.

"Do you think we could check out that shooting range that just opened downtown?" Nate asked.

This could be his chance! Maybe going to a shooting range would be a good first step in bringing Nate out of his shell.

Sully remained silent for a long time, thinking about the idea that Nate suggested.

Sending the wrong message.

"I guess it was a stupid idea. Sorry I brought it up." Nate said dejectedly. He walked out of the room.

'_Stupid! Stupid!'_ Sully said to himself. He wished that he had not just closed this door of opportunity.

He went upstairs and found Nate on his laptop.

'_So that's what he's been doing all this time._'Sully thought to himself.

"Hey uh Nate? Sorry if I was giving the wrong idea there. I think going to a shooting range would be a great idea." Sully said.

"Really?" Nate beamed.

Now there's an emotion Sully hasn't seen in a while; genuine happiness.

'_This is progress.'_

"Yeah. Besides I'd like to know if I still got it." Sully decided to lighten up the mood more by fashioning his hands into an imaginary gun and pretending to take shots.

Nate chuckled softly.

'_What's gotten into him?'_ It's not every day one goes from severely depressed to chipper than a puppy.

"What do you say we head down there tomorrow afternoon?" Sully suggested.

"Sounds good." Nate responded in his happy tone. "And Sully?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Nate said with a smile.

"Anytime kid."

**~U~C~**

As promised, the next day, that afternoon, Nate and Sully went to the shooting range. They started small; they each grabbed .45 defenders, and denied needing ear plugs, goggles, or gloves much to the surprise and concern of the staff.

Nate and Sully spent a good part of the afternoon taking shots at various targets, even having a competition as to who could rack up the most points when the numbered targets appeared. They always ended up with one or the other winning by one or two points.

It was a big relief for Sully to see Nate come out of his shell. He started to see the Nate he's grown to love; witty, happy, determined and a complete smart ass. But in the back of his mind, Sully always had the worry that Nate would turn the gun on him. He didn't know what was going through Nate's mind, he was just unpredictable. But as time passed, that worry became more of a distant fantasy than a feasible reality.

"Well kid, I think that's enough for one day eh?" Sully said.

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks Sully, I needed this."

'_No kidding.' _

"Anytime kid. Now come on, let's get out of here."

Today was a good day. Nate seemed to be reverting back to his old self, slowly but surely.

Slowly, but surely.

**~U~C~**

As the days turned to weeks and weeks to months, there were frequent visits to the shooting range and there was much improvement to Nate's personality. He was much calmer, outgoing, and lovingly goofy at times. He was reverting back to the Nate you love and love to hate.

Even somewhere down the line, Nate had met a nice woman named Clara Elaine. Her love and experience for not only guns but adventure immediately drew Nate to her. She was a beautiful woman. She was a brunette with the deepest brown eyes that you just couldn't say no too, clear skin with careful placement of scars, and a smile that could keep a light bulb shining for weeks.

There was her also her rough and tough, yet sweet deep Texan accent. She was a true country girl.

On top of that, her personality closely resembled that of Nate's. Kind, smart, witty, and humorous; there was no possibility of being anything other than happy when in her vicinity.

This seemed to be a gift right out of the heavens. She was perfect for Nate not only in compatibility but also as a distraction. This was what Nate needed to truly move on. She would be a way to not only keep the memories of Chloe and Elena alive, but also help forget them. Gone but not forgotten.

Unfortunately though, Sully had suffered a severe heart attack and all those years of cigar smoking and drinking did not help in his battle to survive.

This hit Nate hard and almost caused him to retreat back into his shell. But little did he know that Sully had informed Clara of Nate's troubled past and the recent string of tragic events that he went through. He did not spare any details of his violent episodes.

Clara Elaine was very understanding and knew damn well that leaving Nate at one of his lowest points of his life would prove catastrophic. She stuck by him fulfilling everything that he needed. Anything from providing a shoulder for him to cry on to being an ear that he can chew off to just being a pillow that will comfort him for as long as he needed.

Six months afterwards, Nate seemed to finally be over Sully's sudden death. Gone, but not forgotten. He accepted that Sully was no longer a part of his life. But still kept his memory alive by placing some photos around the home and even keeping a couple of his favorite shirts. Well that idea wasn't his, Clara suggested it. She said it helped her cope with her mother's passing. He found it odd at first and was very skeptical, but soon found her words to be true. It did help him cope.

They had also moved out of Key West, Florida and decided to move to Austin, Texas; Clara's home town. They decided to trade the chaotic and sometimes unpredictable city life for a more peaceful and quiet scene.

It was something they definitely needed, especially Nate.

At least for now.

**~U~C~**

"Hello Nate." Claire spoke while walking into the room.

"Hey yourself. What's up?"

"I just got a call from my boss. Turns out there's some sort of trinket somewhere that's worth millions. He even gave us a couple of leads."

"Really? Millions?" Nate's exclaimed with his eyes bulging out.

"Affirmative; a combination of any number you desire between 1 and 999 followed by six zeroes." She replied.

Nate went over to her picked her up in a hug and kissed her.

"Mmm, what was that for?" She asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Ah, you know me; Mr. Spontaneous."

"Well Mr. Spontaneous, we're not the only ones that know about this. Some guy by the name of Valerio Vilento is after it too. Other than its value I don't know why he's so hot about it. He's been tearing through every corner of the European continent for it."

Nate smiled knowingly and laughed. He knew _exactly_ where this was going.

"And what's so funny Mr. Comedy?" Clara asked while playfully poking his nose.

"Oh you're going to regret sticking with me." Nate said knowingly.

"Already am, always have been." She said jokingly. "Come on, my boss has already booked the flight for us. Let's get packing."

While packing, Nate stopped to think about the revelation that hit him. This was the first time that Victor Sullivan would not be accompanying him for yet another of life's crazy adventures.

Nate did not deny it. It would feel strange going on these types of missions without Victor Sullivan around. And knowing his luck, this won't turn out to be a simple treasure plundering mission. It will escalate into something that's even bigger. It's inevitable.

While on the plane, Nate was excited and nervous all at the same time. But he was still determined. He's worked hard to keep the memory of Elena and Chloe alive, all made easier with Clara sitting beside him.

This adventure would be the best way to keep the memory of Victor Sullivan alive. Not sitting at home sulking but outside seeing what the world has to offer; what challenges it will give physically, mentally, and emotionally. And absorbing the memories they will surely give.

Though memories may come and go, one thing is certain.

They may be gone, but they are not forgotten.

* * *

**I've been contemplating for months on whether or not I should give just one last push, and write a sequel to Uncharted: Crossroads. This has been sitting on my laptop for months. I finally picked it up again and BAM this was born =D**

**I was going to give this a bit of a darker ending but then I was like, let's give it more of a happy ending. The first one ended fairly dark, the second was either/or, so why not XD**

**Yes, I realize that this could be expanded into a full blown Uncharted fan fic. Will I do it? Only time will tell ^_^.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review =)**

*****Series Order*****

**1.) Uncharted: Animal I have Become**

**2.) Uncharted: Crossroads**

**3.) Uncharted: Gone, But Not Forgotten**


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